Graphene has been proposed as an alternative to commonly used materials such as tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) due to graphene's extraordinary electrical, physical, and mechanical properties. Graphene (as well as any conducting flexible substrate) can be employed as the transparent electrode, instead of the more commonly used indium tin oxide (ITO), due to its extraordinary electrical, physical, and mechanical properties. In addition, the abundance of carbon makes the use of graphene in large-scale applications, such as smart windows, more affordable, than the limited and expensive ITO alternative.
During the past decade since it was isolated through simple exfoliation, graphene has demonstrated interesting optical, mechanical, and electronic properties. Graphene has also found use in electrochemical systems, from sensing devices to fundamental studies of its charge transfer properties. Large area, single layer graphene is interesting because unlike graphene flakes, it can be used as the sole electrode material, removing the need for a conductive substrate and thus allowing for measurements on graphene without complications from the underlying substrate. Single layer graphene also offers the opportunity for simultaneously probing two interfaces in proximity. Recent debate has focused on any differences in charge transfer processes the edges and basal planes of graphene and the effect of impurities introduced during growth and processing on the catalytic properties of graphene.